It Was A Beautiful Letdown
by Oh-So-Retro
Summary: If it was a choice between you and the Giant Squid, I'd choose the Giant Squid." Lily shouted. "Fine!" James said, inwardly cursing her, for her stubborness. One-shot.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

**Note:** One-shot, I will soon delete this, maybe after a few weeks, but reviews would BE NICE!

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James moaned as he saw Lily walk out of the Gryffindor Tower. This was beyond humiliating. I mean it was one thing to state that you wouldn't go out with him, but picking the Giant Squid instead and actually do it?

James could hear faint stifles of laughter beside him.

"Shut it Sirius. It's not funny." James snarled, his eyes glaring at the entrance hole that just a moment ago, Lily had stepped out of.

"Sorry Prongs but I mean, it's not everyday you see the love of your life go out with, well, _your_ worst enemy. _The Giant Squid_." Sirius said, before bursting in to laughter. Remus sensibly chuckled, but only loud enough for himself.

James walked off in a huff muttering, "Stupid people, don't know what they're talking about. Stupid Lily humiliating me..." He walked out of the Tower and headed towards the lake. Might as well watch the two.

His footsteps echoed on the wet stepping stones that dug in to the soil. Stupid Squid. Even though it was a Squid, James was very jealous. It was...unnerving. He stopped short to see a very confusing scene.

Slowly, the Giant Squid transformed, his tentacles became arms and legs and his head reducing until it was the shape of a – man? 'Oh my god, this was worse than I thought, I knew it! Stupid Squid – man – thing.' James thought, but he kept still looking at the astonished face of Lily. 'So she must have not known either...'

The man wasn't exactly ugly; he looked about their age. His eyes were grey and his hair whitish. Obviously James found it quite disturbing for Lily to stand so close to a guy that looked so much like Lucius Malfoy. He shuddered at the thought of them being the same.

Lily looked astounded, "Who – who are you?" The boy cocked his head on one side and smiled at her. He looked very much like Lucius, the hair, and the eyes. Though this boy seemed less hostile and more – charming. The only reason she was doing this was because that James Potter had, kind of, dared her. It was her and her stupid Gryffindor pride. Now since she had long realized that she was so hostile to James was because, she too, had fallen for him, and she wouldn't give the satisfaction to him for doing that to her.

"Well - my name is Julian. I, well, you can see I'm the Squid. My parents transfigured me when I was a baby in to a Squid and left me here. Weird and awkward, I know." Julian said glancing at Lily; she was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. Her red hair curled around her face, the wind blowing them softly, as her green eyes sparkled, even in the hazy mist surrounding them.

Her speaking again snapped him out of the daydream. "Well, you see – I was wondering, whether you would like to go out like me?" She said uncertainly, nervous as well. Julian looked at her as if she was crazy, he was the one that was attracted to her, and there she was asking him out. Only one word could describe how he was feeling.

Wow.

"Of course," He quickly replied to her, a blush creeping on to his cheeks. Even Lily couldn't deny that when Julian blushed he was sexy. Sure she liked James, didn't mean she was his. Like that was going to happen.

Inside, Julian was jumping with joy. Lily, Lily Evans, the girl he had watched for many years was returning her feelings. He saw her smile sweetly at him and his heart fluttered.

For someone who didn't like Lily, that way, it would have been sweet. But from James's point of view he was going to try and kill Julian. Bloody hell, he was furious.

James screamed as he stormed in to the Gryffindor Common Room, causing many people to stare at the stupid Head Boy that disturbed the peace that radiated throughout the room, just a moment ago. "Stupid bloody Julian – Squid-boy!" He shouted as he hurled Sirius's chessboard against the wall, much less to Sirius's protests of 'You bloody fag, you owe me a new chessboard.'

Remus, Sirius and Peter looked worriedly at the beet-red James that was lying on his crimson-red bedspread, his chest heaving up and down from hyperventilating.

"Now Prongs, slowly – slowly tell me, what the fucking hell happened." Sirius said, drawing out every single word very slowly, as if James was either dumb or deaf, which he was neither.

Mumbles and murmurs of very colourful swearing, which Padfoot had long since never heard was being said by a very angry James.

"Stupid Julian, who the hell does he think he is? Taking away Lily. My Lily. Mine. Mine." James said, banging his fists on his pillow. Remus shook his head, while Peter looked skeptically at James thinking, 'Oh god, James has gone bonkers.' Sirius was grinning. Something was up.

Lily made her way to the Great Hall; she was absolutely famished and radiated with pride. She'll show that cocky, arrogant prick whose boss. She burst in, a few students had already arrived and was tucking in to the piles of food that were already set out. Nice. She could eat quickly and leave, or she could wait around for that Potter and gloat about her date with the Giant Squid. An extremely good-looking Giant Squid. Julian, to be exact.

James and his Marauders finally came bursting through the huge oak doors heading towards the Gryffindor table. James looked absolutely livid.

Uh-oh.

It seemed through all her pride she couldn't see that enraged persona about James. "Ha! Told you Potter, I got a date with the Giant Squid." She boasted while James angrily bit in to his chicken, biting through the leg-bone. Sirius shuddered, 'Mental note: never ever, ever get James/Prongs angry.'

"Well – I see you had a great time with that slimy git you would now call a boyfriend." James growled. It really hurt, not only because Lily wanted to purposely hurt him, because he loved her so much, and Lily didn't even know...

"What?" She was taken aback, "You saw? How?"

"Well – you weren't exactly very discreet about it." He snarled, by that time, the whole Hall was watching them. He was thinking, 'I love you Lily; I fucking love you so much. Why can't you see it?'

"You – you followed me. You arrogant little prick!" She shouted standing up, causing the cup of Pumpkin Juice to spray all over herself. "Bloody hell." She exclaimed, with that she rushed out of the Hall, heading back to her room, the Head Girl's Room.

Julian looked so alone, but warmth filled him as he remembered his date with the girl of his dreams, Lily Evans.

Lily quickly slipped on a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a jumper, it was getting chilly outside. She tied her hair back and lay down on her bed, thinking very intently. She was using Julian, it would really hurt him if he figured out she didn't like him back that way. She knew how it felt like. She'd have to break it off with him, she then sighed.

Lily walked briskly along the damp and cold pathway towards the Lake. It was going to be very hard for her to do. Too bad she didn't notice a certain unruly black-haired boy following her closely.

"Julian." She called out in to the void, "Julian." A gentle splash of water by her feet indicated that he had heard. "We need to talk." She said in a softer tone.

He suddenly appeared in front of her, this only scared her even more. "I – I – we need to break up."

The evident smile on his face disappeared as fast as it had appeared, replaced with a look of hurt, "Why?" He choked out, "Is – it me?"

"No – no, I'm sorry, but...how can I put this, I kind of used you to get at this boy I fell for, too hard. I'm really sorry." Lily mumbled, feeling very guilty.

Julian felt extremely hurt, "I – I don't know what to say. How – how? Why?"

"Well, this boy, James. He taunts me and asks me out at least five times a day." She said, then added in a quieter voice, "Only he doesn't know how much it hurts me when I try and believe he actually cares and wants to love me."

The boy that watched from a distance, his breath hitched and his heart beat faster. It wasn't normal...

"And I guess, all I'm trying to say was, I'm sorry. I'm well and truly sorry, if I led you on or something, even though we haven't even gone out or anything." Lily muttered.

Julian just stared at her hurt and pain indicated through the windows of his eyes, "It's okay." He finally said, "I forgive you, and maybe after all this we can be friends. If you want to."

Lily looked at Julian, "Yes! That would be wonderful!" She exclaimed almost at once. Julian hugged her, he would rather be her friend, than she not be in his life at all.

"If that bastard ever hurt you, I'll – I'll rip his balls out and feed it to the Giant Squid – wait-a-minute, I am the Giant Squid. On second thought, no thanks I couldn't stand eating – that, though I'll feed it to the Hippogriffs." Lily smiled at Julian's threat.

The boy's eyes widening could not be seen, luckily.

A few hours passed and Lily finally left the Lake, only to bump in to someone quite hard, "Ouch!"

'Please not be Filch, please not be Filch.' She thought her eyes closed. She finally dared to look up.

No. This was much – much worse.

Potter.

Oh god. He hadn't heard her, had he? No. No. No. This wasn't happening.

"Potter," was her strangled response. Lily could see something of an emotion in his eyes, though, could not place it.

"Lily," was his strangled cry. To confirm her fears he said, "I heard everything."

Yes, yes, her world was crashing down before her. Damnit.

"I – I was practicing lines. For – for a Drama play with Frank Longbottom." She lied. Lying was many of her bad traits. Damnit.

"Liar." He said, "Lily –"

She turned her back on him, it was one thing to face rejection, but in your face?

"- I love you."

She stood there motionless in shock. What? She had heard her name and 'I love you' in the same sentence that came out of James Potter's mouth. It was...a bloody miracle for her.

She spun around. "What?"

James took a deep breath, "I've liked you for so long Lily. What I want to know is...do you love me?"

"I – I don't know..." She said. James looked heartbroken. "But we can find out."

Lily was smiling at him. Truly smiling at him, not angry at all.

It really was a miracle.

And everything does turn out for the best. It was a perfect ending to a new beginning.

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**Nice...now review.**


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